Yang Jing understood. Wu Jingyuan must have set his sights on the Bishui Zhang Family’s collection of insights and legacy regarding the formation of a Nascent Soul.

He shook his head.

"The Zhang Family is being foolish. If the Wu Family wants the legacy, they should have just offered up a copy."

A legacy like that is precious, of course, but if they were truly cornered, offering up a copy would be little more than a loss of face for the Zhang Family.

"You see things clearly, sir, but we of the Lu Kingdom’s Royal Family won’t allow Wu Jingyuan to form his Nascent Soul so easily,"

Steward Wang said.

"I see. It seems the Zhang Family is now caught between a rock and a hard place."

Yang Jing nodded, now having a general understanding of the Zhang Family’s current situation.

’It seems obtaining the refining method for the Flying Boat won’t be as easy as I’d anticipated. The Lu Family has seven Golden Core Cultivators, while the Wu Family has a master at the Perfect Golden Core stage.’

’If I were to suppress one side directly, it would just be a game of whack-a-mole.’

Yang Jing had sharp instincts.

As the Hall Master of the General Affairs Hall, Bai Shui True Monarch was an incredibly busy man who usually concerned himself with the major affairs of the Western Continent. Yang Jing refused to believe there wasn’t some deeper connection behind his sudden mention of the Bishui Zhang Family, a long-declined Immortally Cultivation Clan.

Even if Bai Shui True Monarch hadn’t directly stepped forward to support the Zhang Family for some reason, Yang Jing knew he had to handle the situation with extreme caution.

He needed to find a solution that would protect the Zhang Family without him having to become their permanent babysitter.

「Two days later.」

The Flying Boat, fully loaded with cargo, took to the skies. It departed from Celestial Square Marketplace and headed toward the Lu Kingdom.

The Flying Boat traveled at an incredible speed, and Celestial Square Marketplace was soon left far behind.

The power of an ordinary Fiefdom was limited; they often had to expend all their resources just to construct a single Flying Boat. The one Yang Jing was currently aboard, for instance, had a power core that was merely a Tier One Spiritual Eye Object.

While the Flying Boat was still docked at the skyport, Yang Jing’s cabin had received a trickle of Spiritual Qi. But once the vessel took flight, all the Spiritual Qi was diverted to power the Flying Escape Array, and the supply was cut off instantly.

Even the Lu Family’s Golden Core Cultivator guarding the Flying Boat had to resort to using Spirit Stones to cultivate his Magical Power.

Yang Jing simply took his two disciples and entered his Inner World.

After placing the Spiritual Eye Object inside, Spiritual Qi had begun to flourish, and he could sense his Inner World growing more and more stable.

Chi Yu had long been feeling cooped up in the narrow cabin. The moment he stepped into the Inner World, he shot into the air, flying about excitedly.

Yellow Foot, meanwhile, excitedly surveyed the Inner World, which was now vastly different from before.

"Master, this world is so rich in Spiritual Qi! We can raise Spirit Fish in the river, plant Spirit Wood on the mountains, and even raise Demons. This way, we’ll have an endless supply of ingredients."

After cultivating the Dao of Spiritual Food, he had genuinely fallen in love with making it. Otherwise, even with the help of his "system," the pastries he made would never have reached a level that could fascinate even a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

"You can. However, the source of this Inner World’s Spiritual Qi is that Tier Four Spiritual Eye Object. One day, I will have to take it away, and this world will revert to its depleted state,"

Yang Jing said.

’If I could use an Array Formation to lock the dissipating Spiritual Qi into the ground, it might be possible to birth a Spirit Vein after a hundred years of nurturing.’

’But that’s too long to wait. It’s not worth much to me right now.’

Yang Jing supervised his two disciples’ cultivation. Since he was just a passenger hitching a ride, the Lu Family members aboard the Flying Boat largely left him alone.

The only exception was the Lu Family’s Golden Core Cultivator on board. After hearing that an Inner Sect Disciple from the Five Elements True Spirit Sect was a passenger, he summoned Yang Jing once to try and recruit him, but Yang Jing managed to deflect the offer with a few excuses.

「Five days later.」

As the Flying Boat traveled through a desolate mountain range on the border between two Fiefdoms, it was suddenly ambushed by Tribulation Cultivators.

BOOM!

After the massive explosion, the Flying Boat’s hull began to shake violently. A Treasure Seal, a Magical Treasure, had slammed into the ship, easily shattering its Defensive Array and blasting a ten-foot-wide hole in the side.

The Independent Cultivators packed into that section of the cabin had no time to react before the Treasure Seal obliterated them, turning them to ash.

"How audacious! Who dares attack a Flying Boat of my Lu Family!"

Lu Honghua, the Golden Core Cultivator guarding the Flying Boat, roared in fury. He activated a Magical Treasure that looked like a bamboo tube, releasing a beam of Profound Light that shot toward the attacking Golden Core Cultivator.

"HEH HEH HEH... A paltry trick like that?"

A Golden Core Tribulation Cultivator, clad in a Profound Robe that concealed his face, let out a bizarre laugh as he activated his Treasure Seal to block the Profound Light.

A horde of fierce-looking Tribulation Cultivators wielding all sorts of Spiritual Artifacts poured through the hole in the hull. The moment they set foot inside, they began slaughtering the other cultivators on the ship at an astonishing speed.

The Independent Cultivators in the cabins, whether they put up a desperate fight or fell to their knees to beg for mercy, could not escape the slaughter.

Elite disciples of the Lu Family were also stationed on the Flying Boat as guards. As soon as the large hole was breached, they rushed forward to plug the gap.

"Black Wind Thieves!"

The Lu Family disciple in the lead recognized the attackers’ identities at a glance and immediately cried out:

"These Tribulation Cultivators are the Black Wind Thieves! Everyone on this Flying Boat, abandon any hope of being spared! No one survives an attack from the Black Wind Thieves! Our only chance at survival is to drive them back completely!"

"HAHA! You’re all just lambs for the slaughter! Surrender obediently and let us do our work, and maybe we’ll make your deaths less painful."

A Foundation Establishment Cultivator from among the Black Wind Thieves, wielding a Ghost Head Saber, roared with laughter.

"If you dare to resist, I’ll string you all up on trees and carve the flesh from your bones, piece by piece!"

The Lu Family disciple in the lead immediately pulled a Gourd, one that stood more than half as tall as a man, from his Storage Bag and aimed it at the Black Wind Thieves.

"Five Elements Gourd!"

The face of the Tribulation Cultivator with the saber changed instantly. He not only activated a Defensive Spiritual Artifact but also yanked a fellow thief in front of him to act as a shield.

In recent years, various Gourd Spiritual Artifacts capable of unleashing True Thunder had suddenly started appearing on these commercial Flying Boats.

The Gourds that could only unleash Jia Wood or Bing Fire True Thunder were one thing; they could only threaten cultivators at Qi Cultivation Perfection.

But the Five Elements Gourd, capable of unleashing the Five Elements True Thunder, was an entirely different matter. If a Foundation Establishment Cultivator lacked a suitable Defensive Spiritual Artifact, it was nearly impossible to withstand the divine might of this thunder.

Their Black Wind Thieves had already suffered considerable losses because of these Five Elements Gourds.

With a deafening CRACK, a dazzling bolt of Five Elements True Thunder erupted from the Gourd’s mouth.

The face of the Tribulation Cultivator directly in the path of the True Thunder turned deathly pale as he pushed his Defensive Spiritual Artifact to its absolute limit.

The next moment, the priceless Defensive Spiritual Artifact was shattered by the Five Elements True Thunder. The raging bolt of lightning blasted the man to ashes, but its power wasn’t spent. It continued on to strike the Tribulation Cultivator behind him, causing the Spiritual Light of his own Defensive Spiritual Artifact to flicker erratically as he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"Such power!"

The Lu Family disciple wielding the Five Elements Gourd was shocked himself. He hadn’t expected the Gourd’s power to be as astonishing as the clerk from the True Spirit Lineage had claimed.

The price of this Gourd was staggering—a single one cost 3,800 Spirit Stones and could only fire three bolts of Five Elements True Thunder.

It was only because the Jia Wood Gourds and Bing Fire Gourds had proven to be genuine that the Lu Family had gritted their teeth and purchased three of the Five Elements Gourds.

"Charge! The Five Elements Gourd can only fire one bolt of Five Elements True Thunder within a seven-day period!"

The Foundation Establishment Cultivator with the Ghost Head Saber yelled at the top of his lungs.

After retreating in failure three times, he had already figured out the Five Elements Gourd’s weakness. As long as they could withstand the first bolt of lightning, the Gourd would become temporarily useless.

BOOM! BOOM!

Two more bolts of Five Elements True Thunder erupted, blasting three Foundation Establishment Tribulation Cultivators to their deaths.

Although the Black Wind Thieves were terrified of the Gourd, the thought of their leader’s earlier threats made them cast aside their hesitation. They charged forward on their Spiritual Artifacts, engaging the Lu Family disciples in a chaotic melee.

As veteran Tribulation Cultivators, their personal wealth was on par with the Lu Family disciples, but their experience in Magical Combat was far superior. They quickly gained the upper hand.

"Sir! Sir! You have to do something! These Black Wind Thieves don’t leave any survivors!"

A terrified Steward Wang pounded on the cabin door, shouting to Yang Jing inside.